Imagine a freshman English class set in the back room of your neighborhood bar, or a philosophy lecture reverberating inside a church footsteps from home.

Picture dual majors that require proficiency not only in literature but also in renovating a house.

If this sounds like an unusual notion of a four-year college, that's only the start.

North Side resident Timothy Cook and a group of his peers say the traditional college experience doesn't guarantee that students will acquire the balance of physical and intellectual skills they need to lead self-sufficient lives.

And besides, the whole thing costs too darn much.

So they have set out on a quest that, depending on your level of optimism, is either a model for the future or nothing short of a pipe dream.

This group that has almost no capital -- let alone experience in such an endeavor -- wants to create its own stripped-down version of college.